THG's Hurricane Michael 2018 (WMHB)
Hurricane Michael was a powerful and catastrophic Caribbean-type hurricane, as well as the second-most intense landfalling hurricane on record, only behind the 1935 "Labor Day" hurricane in 1935. On October 4, 2018, an area of disorganized tropical thunderstorm activity associated with a broad area of low pressure. Conditions at the time were unfavorable, as a push of dry air from an upper-level trough was ingested into the disturbance. The disturbance became a tropical depression on October 5th, 2018, as shear and dry air relaxed, allowing further organization to take hold, after a couple days of slow development. By the next day, Michael suddenly intensified into a category 2 hurricane south of the western tip of Cuba. This sudden intensification caught western Cuba off guard, strengthening continued as it made landfall as a minimal category four hurricane in western Cuba. Michael made landfall and quickly developing an eye over Maria la Gorda. Thereafter, Michael emerged into the Gulf of Mexico, where it became an extremely powerful category five hurricane, attaining peak winds of 180 MPH (290 km/h), and a minimum central pressure of 896 mbar. On October 9th, hurricane Michael made landfall in Pensacola, Florida, after weakening slightly to 160 MPH. The worst impacted areas were Pensacola and Pensacola beach, in which most houses were completely wiped off their foundations and debris was tossed for hundreds of feet. After landfall, Michael slowly weakened due to the brown ocean effect and was still a category 2 hurricane over Luverne, Alabama. Afterwards, Michael rapidly weakened to a tropical storm and passed over multiple states until transitioning into an extra-tropical cyclone on October 11th over Ocean City, Maryland. By October 14th, an estimated 96 fatalities had been attributed to the hurricane, including 22 in Cuba. Damages and insurance losses were estimated to be at least $23 billion (2018 USD), and Michael left over 350,000 people without power in Cuba as it landfalled as a category four hurricane. Many trees and homes were flattened in both Cuba, Pensacola, Florida and adjacent cities and beaches. A maximum wind gust of 187 MPH (300 km/h) was reported in Navarre, a small town on the outskirts of Pensacola, FL. 'Meteorological History' ]]The National Hurricane Center began monitoring a broad disturbance near Honduras on October 3, and issued its first advisories designating the disturbance as Potential Tropical Cyclone Fourteen (PTC 14), which had a 90 percent chance of becoming the season's 14th named storm or hurricane. Wind shear at the time was very strong, and during the first two days, conditions were unfavorable for further development. Early on October 4th, a hurricane hunter mission was sent out at around 0800 UTC, and found a closed circulation and weak 35 MPH winds. The NHC upgraded the disturbance to tropical depression Fourteen. By the morning of October 5th, radar data from Belize found a closed center of circulation, while satellite estimates indicated a sufficiently organized convective pattern to classify the system as a tropical depression. The newly-formed tropical cyclone then strengthened to Tropical Storm Michael at 17:00 UTC on October 5th. The center of circulation meandered a considerable distance away from the center of circulation, until recon found that the circulation had quickly relocated towards a nascent burst of convection. Afterwards, by midnight October 6th, Michael underwent a rapid intensification and deepening from a tropical storm to a category four hurricane in just 18 hours as it made landfall on the western tip of Cuba, catching residents by surprise. The intensification was one of the fastest on record. Deep bursts of convection lulled for a short time, due to land interaction. Hurricane Michael produced gusts of category five strength in Navarre, Cuba and lashed the western area with extreme winds and heavy rain. Michael's intensification continued shortly thereafter, and Michael further intensified into a category five hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, reaching its peak intensity of 180 MPH, making it the strongest Gulf of Mexico hurricane on record, with a minimum central pressure of 896 mbar just 12 hours later. Michael started to accelerate towards the Florida Panhandle. Hurricane Michael's intense convection was pronounced, with cloud tops as cold as -90 degrees Celsius and a well defined, warm eye on satellite presentations. Soon, Michael slightly weakened before landfalling in Pensacola, Florida, with sustained winds of 175 MPH, making it the second strongest landfalling tropical cyclone on record at 5:30 PM CDT. After landfall, the eye of hurricane Michael quickly clouded over, and the hurricane rapidly weakened from a category five hurricane to a tropical storm in just over 18 hours dumping heavy rain and gusty winds over several states. Michael was picked up by a trough and started to accelerate as it transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over Ocean City, MD late on October 14. Thereafter, Michael became a remnant low and merged with a cold front before dissipating 12 hours later. The NHC issued its last advisories on Michael at 11 AM EDT, October 15th. Category:Costly storms Category:Destructive storms Category:WMHB Category:TheHurricaneGod Category:Atlantic hurricanes